Special to The Chronicle/Malia AlstromAt least two billboards along I-96 near Coopersville were destroyed by the wind early Sunday. Wind at the Muskegon County Airport reached 78 mph.

A blast of wintry wind and snow that made last-minute Christmas shopping and travel a challenge Sunday has subsided today.

But area residents -- mainly thousands of people without power -- still are feeling the effects of an early Christmas present that keeps on giving.

As of 4 a.m. today, Consumers Energy's most recent report, Muskegon County still had approximately 6,000 customers in the dark, plus another 900 in the Fremont area.

All told, the most recent update still had some 20,000 Michigan customers without power due to the severe winds that began early Sunday morning.

In a news release, Consumers spokesman Timothy J. Pietryga said crews would continue working to restore power throughout the day today, and most were expected to have electricity by midnight tonight.

However, some customers in the hardest-hit areas -- including Muskegon County -- may not see electrical service restored until late Tuesday, he said.

Not only is staying home a challenge for some, but air travel's a hassle, too.

At the Gerald R. Ford International Airport in Grand Rapids, power went out about 8:30 p.m. Sunday and remained out early this morning. Some inbound flights were diverted because of weather or the outage, which left some outbound passengers this morning without an aircraft.

The airport lost some conveniences -- heat among them -- but had backup power for essentials such as communications, security and airfield lighting, airport spokesman Bruce Schedlbauer said.

He urged travelers to contact airlines to determine if flights had been delayed or canceled. It was unclear when power would be restored.

Operations at the Muskegon County Airport were also affected by the wintry weather.
A Northwest Airlines flight due in from Detroit Sunday at 8:30 p.m. was canceled, according to a spokesperson for the airlines.

The flight was canceled again this morning, also due to weather, meaning the scheduled morning flight from Muskegon to Detroit also had to be canceled because it would have used the same airplane, the spokesperson said.

Today's Northwest flights were considered on schedule at press time.

Midwest Express airlines, providing service between Muskegon and Milwaukee, was similarly affected.

Two Sunday flights -- 2:15 p.m. and 7:15 p.m. arrivals from Milwaukee -- were both canceled, as well as 2:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. departures for Milwaukee. A special flight was created this morning to bring stranded passengers from Milwaukee to Muskegon, said Kevin Straley, the airline's local customer service manager. Today's Midwest Express flights were on schedule.

Nationwide, at least 11 deaths were blamed on the storm, which led to multicar pileups that closed parts of several major highways in the Plains and knocked out power to thousands of homes and businesses across the Midwest.

West Michigan hit a weather trifecta early Sunday morning with up to 78-mph winds followed by a 30-degree temperature drop and a big blast of lake-effect snow in some areas.

By Sunday evening, high, gusting winds and heavy, swirling snow produced extreme white-out conditions for motorists on I-96, particularly between Muskegon and Grand Rapids. Just after sundown Sunday, those conditions transformed the 40-mile drive into a 90-minute crawl, with several accidents and vehicles in the ditch.

At least two billboards along the eastbound lanes of I-96 near Coopersville were destroyed by heavy winds. Debris from the damaged signs blew across the slick pavement and into the median while one sign's vinyl message furiously flapped in the wind.

Many area traffic lights went dark as the storm built Sunday morning. Many of them remained dark this morning.

High winds early Sunday damaged the roof of the Norton Shores public works building, 85 E. Mount Garfield.

Norton Shores Fire Chief David Purchase said the wind peeled the insulation panels and rubber matting off the roof, scattering debris around the building, into the roadway and beyond.

The building still has its original steel roof, which the matting and insulation panels covered, he said.

Just after 7 a.m. Sunday, Muskegon police received a report of a large light pole down and blocking the road at Seaway Drive and Laketon Avenue.

A 6:14 a.m. report Sunday of a power pole and trees down at Lakeshore Boulevard and Baker Street in Norton Shores was typical of the many damage reports made by the public. A huge, partially uprooted spruce tree could be seen leaning precariously along Pontaluna Road Sunday afternoon.

A 78-mph wind gust -- the same force generated by a category 1 hurricane -- was recorded at Muskegon County Airport Sunday.

Bob Dukesherer, a National Weather Service meteorologist, said it was the highest wind gust recorded at a weather site in West Michigan since he started at the Grand Rapids office 12 years ago. He said the only winds stronger have been near the Lake Michigan coasts, such as those 90 mph winds during the 1998 windstorm.

"That's a heck of a gust," Dukesherer said of the 78-mph wind. "It's fairly odd to see that type of gust in a winter system."

Area residents can expect the weather to be calm for the remainder of the holiday.

Dukesherer said the National Weather Service is forecasting scattered flurries tonight and partly sunny conditions on Christmas Day.